Numerical Analysis of the Blood Flow in an Artery with Stenosis

The study presents the results of a simulated blood flow in an artery affected with arteriosclerosis. Distribution of flow velocity vectors is presented along with distribution of shear strain on the walls of the artery. During the stent designing process, the knowledge about a pathophysiological role of the shear strains during the restenosis process and about the possible phlebitis is required. According to many studies, low shear strain levels are connected with the forming of the atherosclerotic plaques with an irregular structure. The study aims to present a process that will allow obtaining numerical models of the vessel and the atherosclerotic plaque from photographs of the cross sections made with medical equipment. Those models were later used to develop a domain of the blood flow inside the vessel. The analysis was conducted using the Finite Volume Method in Ansys Fluent software. This methods converts the differential equations into algebraic ones by integrating those equations at the limits of each finite volume. The constant development of the materials and manufacturing processes for the stents allows for improvement of their usability, however one factor is not still diagnosed adequately, namely the restenosis - a condition in which a vessel undergoes narrowing again after the treatment. The rapid progress of computer methods allows for simulating increasingly complex scenarios, which can help improve the medical treatment procedures.